Staples Supports the Growth of Small Business with Free Advertising

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS), the world’s largest office products company and second largest in e-commerce sales, today awarded five small businesses $50,000 in free advertising and cash as part of the “Give Your Small Business the Push It Needs” contest. The winners reflect the uniqueness of small businesses within the American economy, offer a variety of distinct and innovative products and services ranging from social media marketing to alternative energy solutions to full-service baby nursery design.

The contest grew out of a survey that found the majority of small business owners believe they would increase their sales through additional advertising and direct marketing if they had the resources.

Selected from hundreds of video entries submitted on Staples’ Facebook page (facebook.com/staples), each of the five small businesses will receive a total of $50,000 in local cable television advertising and cash in their home markets.

The winners include:

• Ryan Siegel, CEO of Outta The Box Marketing in Fairfield, New Jersey. Founded in 2011, Outta The Box Marketing is a social media and marketing company that specializes in creating custom interactive Facebook pages, optimizing Twitter pages and custom YouTube, Vimeo and Google+ pages.
• Jeff Asper, Owner of Perigee Power Solutions in Hampstead, Maryland. Launched in 2010, Perigee Power Solutions LLC provides alternative portable power solutions supporting solar, hydro and wind energy sources.
• Jenny Jafek-Jones, Owner of the Crimson Poppy in Stillwater, Okla. Founded in 2009, Crimson Poppy offers more than 100 lifelike paper flower varieties used in colorful bouquets and custom floral arrangements.
• Deborah George Tsakoumakis, Founder/Owner of Wire-A-Cake/HB Bakery Connections in Huntington Beach, Calif. Established in 1987, the company created a network of bakeries to deliver cakes, pies and cookies for any occasion in 50 states and overseas to the military.
• Kim Hendry, Owner of Peekaboo Design Group in Dallas, Texas. Started in 2004, Peekaboo Design Group is a full-service planning and nursery design firm dedicated to alleviating stress for expecting parents, giving them time to focus on a healthy pregnancy and baby.

“Small businesses are eager to grow their companies, and it was exciting to see the creativity and enthusiasm they brought to this program,” said John Giusti, vice president of small business marketing, Staples. “Small businesses play a critical role in driving the American economy. We are thrilled to award these five winning small businesses with television advertising to help them achieve their business goals in 2012.”

Small businesses had the opportunity to enter the contest by submitting a 15-second video about their company on Staples’ Facebook page from January to March 14, 2012. The five winning small businesses will receive 15-seconds of advertising in a 30-second Staples television ad to run in their local market. Their submissions can be seen here https://apps.facebook.com/smallbusinesspush. The winners were selected based on the number online votes and by a panel of Staples judges.

The five small business winners will each receive $40,000 worth of local cable television advertising plus $10,000 in cash. The total prize package is valued at $50,000 plus $500 in Staples Copy and Print or Staples EasyTech™ services. The first television ad is scheduled to run in May.

About the Survey

Staples 6^th Annual National Small Business Survey found that 52 percent of small business owners would grow their business through advertising and direct marketing, if they had a larger marketing budget.

The survey was developed by Staples and conducted by Decision Analyst, Inc. in Arlington, Texas. Decision Analyst surveyed by Internet a nationally-representative random sample of 500 owners and executives of American businesses having no more than 20 employees. All respondents were members of American Consumer Opinion® online, Decision Analyst’s proprietary Internet based consumer-opinion panel with over 500,000 members globally. Interviews were conducted from November 10 to November 24, 2011. Such a sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. For more information about American Consumer Opinion® online please visit www.acop.com.

About Staples

Staples is the world’s largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions. The company provides products, services and expertise in office supplies, copy & print, technology, facilities and breakroom, and furniture. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and now has annual sales of $25 billion, ranking second in the world in eCommerce sales. With 90,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, making it easy for businesses of all sizes, and consumers. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.

Follow Staples on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/staples and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/staples.